Ultra-high field neuroimaging reveals disease-related reconfiguration in PD and associations with cytoskeleton and synaptic function

Motivation: Brian structural alterations, such as in cortical thickness and subcortical nuclei volume, play important roles in progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). Goal(s): However, in early-stage PD, the mechanisms underlying the relations between the genetic signatures to structural alterations are unclear. Approach: This study integrates these structural characteristics and proposes the concept of 'disease-related reconfiguration' to reveal the underlying mechanisms by using ultra-high field neuroimaging and gene-imaging association analysis. Results: The results suggested that this reconfiguration was characterized by reduced cortical thickness in the right pars triangularis and it was associated with the biological processes of cytoskeleton and synaptic function. Impact: Disease-related structural reconfiguration, the novel concept introduced in this study, providing new evidence for revealing the pathogenic mechanisms of early-stage Parkinson's disease and understanding the specific genes that influence brain structure.